The overall objective of this study is to investigate some antecedents and consequents of the distribution of authority in three-generation families in Taiwan. The research is at the conjunction of two general lines of inquiry in family sociology--social structure and socialization, and family power--and hopes to make a contribution to both areas. Specifically, the proposed study aims to examine variations in the power of the older generation, particularly the grandmother, to influence family affairs. Several indices of power distribution will be explored on a pilot basis, and a large scale questionnaire study will be used to test some hypothesis concerning the antecedents of grandparent power, as well as its consequents for child socialization in the family.